The wife is out of town for a little over a week, so I have sole control of television!
Friday night I was browsing Shudder and stumbled across THE LAST DRIVE-IN SHOW right before it started. I have a weird relationship to THE LAST DRIVE-IN SHOW as I tend to enjoy Joe Bob Briggs and have some nostalgia for the few times that I caught MONSTERVISION back in the day, but I almost never watch THE LAST DRIVE-IN SHOW. I'm almost never available to see the live show so I always have to come back to it later and I just have a hard time pulling the trigger because (a) if it's a movie a want to see but haven't, I don't really enjoy the film interruptions as it breaks the flow of the movie for me (this didn't bother me as much during MONSTERVISION because we were gonna get commercial breaks regardless), thus leading me to choose to watch the normal version of the film; and (b) if it's a movie I've already seen, then I have a hard time pulling the trigger on a three-hour "version" of it. But the wife isn't home and I was just curious as to the movie selection so I stuck around for a bit and after hearing that it was DONNIE DARKO, I committed to the watching the whole thing.
So first off, it's been an incredibly long time since I've seen DONNIE DARKO, though I've seen the film probably half a dozen times or so. I was surprised to see that it was released in 2001 because this always feels like a mid to late 90s film to me. Anyways, I still absolutely love this film, even though I'm unsure if the ending makes a lick of sense (I get the general sense of it, but I'm still left with a ton of questions). While the movie is definitely off-beat, there is something that is so watchable about it. It just sucks you in and feels so grounded and real in moments like when Donnie breaks down to his mom and asks her, "What's it like to have a whacko for a son?" To which she responds, tears in her eyes, "It's wonderful." Yet the film feels so dreamlike and surreal. The strength of the film truly is the amazing cast. Obviously, most people remember Jake Gyllenhaal, but the film also has his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Mary McDonnell, and Jena Malone (who was everywhere in independent films after this). It's even got Seth Rogan as a bully! And a bunch other people that if you don't know their names, you'll know their faces. The cast sells every minute of this film. They did show the theatrical version, so I might dig out my director's cut to give it a watch as well. I remember not being blown away by it, thinking that the theatrical was stronger, but I could be wrong on that. Anyways, DONNIE DARKO is highly recommended.
As for my experience with THE LAST DRIVE-IN, I think I was coming at it backwards by looking at it as if I wanted to see the movie itself or not, instead of viewing it as live "appointment television"-type thing, where I'm sitting down on Friday night to watch THE LAST DRIVE-IN SHOW regardless of what's playing. So I wound up enjoying it quite a bit. Maybe I'll carve more time out on Friday nights to watch it moving forward.
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Rate the Last Movie You Saw
Collapse
X
-
Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View PostI've been on vacation trying desperately to find a new job before my psychotic co-worker takes over as big boss tomorrow morning, so I've been watching a LOT of movies at night to try to calm my skyrocketing blood pressure. Among the many:
THE MISSION on TCM on Demand, from 1986. A gorgeous film about 1700's Jesuit missionaries trying to save indigenous tribes from Portuguese slavers. Baby-faced stars include Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, and Liam Neeson, who was so young that I only recognized him from his height and accent. The scenery is amazing, and the scenes of Irons and De Niro climbing massive cliffs had me totally perplexed at how they did it. Highly recommended.
UNDER PARIS on Netflix is a French film about a shark on the loose in the Seine during a massive triathlon. Totally ridiculous, and suffering from the same weird plot device as the French giant spider movie I saw on Shudder a few weeks back (No spoilers!), but it was fun, and had a totally unexpected last act. As always, CGI sharks always look dodgy......give me Bruce chomping on Quint any day. My wife loved it.
FURY on Apple. This is one of those "How did I miss this for so long???" type of films. WWII tank action with Brad Pitt, with a totally bonkers finale...probably one of the best war films I've ever seen. Wife and I both loved it.
I saw the "trailer" (you know, those stupid short clips that Netflix runs if you stay on the tile too long, which are usually the most boring part of the movie and never gives you any good hint as to what the stinking movie or show is about), but decided to give it a pass. I have a hard time "blind watching" anything on Netflix. There's so much junk on there that I feel I could waste hours just watching the first five minutes of bad movies. It's too bad because I enjoy animal attack movies when done right. I actually had a blast with Alexandre Aja's CRAWL.
Your praise of FURY has got me thinking I need to give it another shot. I watched the first fifteen minutes or so of the film during a flight (granted not the best way to watch a movie) and just couldn't get engaged. My friend praised it as well, but his taste diverges greatly from mine at times so I took it with a grain of salt. Also, come to find out my wife really likes war movies so this might be up her alley.
- 1 like
Leave a comment:
-
I've been on vacation trying desperately to find a new job before my psychotic co-worker takes over as big boss tomorrow morning, so I've been watching a LOT of movies at night to try to calm my skyrocketing blood pressure. Among the many:
THE MISSION on TCM on Demand, from 1986. A gorgeous film about 1700's Jesuit missionaries trying to save indigenous tribes from Portuguese slavers. Baby-faced stars include Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, and Liam Neeson, who was so young that I only recognized him from his height and accent. The scenery is amazing, and the scenes of Irons and De Niro climbing massive cliffs had me totally perplexed at how they did it. Highly recommended.
UNDER PARIS on Netflix is a French film about a shark on the loose in the Seine during a massive triathlon. Totally ridiculous, and suffering from the same weird plot device as the French giant spider movie I saw on Shudder a few weeks back (No spoilers!), but it was fun, and had a totally unexpected last act. As always, CGI sharks always look dodgy......give me Bruce chomping on Quint any day. My wife loved it.
FURY on Apple. This is one of those "How did I miss this for so long???" type of films. WWII tank action with Brad Pitt, with a totally bonkers finale...probably one of the best war films I've ever seen. Wife and I both loved it.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
I saw GODZILLA MINUS ONE pop up and I'm pretty excited to check it out. I really, really want to like a Godzilla movie, but, to be honest, I've never seen a single one that I've enjoyed. Now, I also have never seen the original nor the highly recommended SHIN GODZILLA, mostly catching some of the other sequels (SMOG MONSTER, MECHAGODZILLA) and I honestly don't know if I ever made it through any of them. I did see the 2014 American remake, but wasn't blown a way. (It might be sacrilegious to say, but I think that CLOVERFIELD is the best that America has done with a kaiju-type film.) I'm hoping that this one will break my Godzilla trend. I plan on watching it with the wife, so it might be a week or two before I get to check it out. Fingers crossed because I really want to like it.
As far as Antoine Fuqua's filmography, I find it hard to disagree. I don't think that he necessarily makes bad films, just nothing that really stands out, fading from memory rapidly after watching them. I remember watching TEARS OF THE SUN a couple of times, but always though at the time that it was lesser Bruce Willis. SOUTHPAW I also really wanted to enjoy due to the talent involved but it just didn't work for me. Same could be said for THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN remake, which was fine, but lacked any kind of heart. Most of his other film just never piqued my interest. TRAINING DAY, though, is still a really good watch.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View PostWe watched GODZILLA MINUS ONE the other night, and we both loved it. My wife is NOT a monster-movie fan, but she has been raving about it to everyone we've seen over the past few days. The effects were amazing, especially the scenes of Godzilla pursuing the small boats...nerve-wracking stuff. Definitely the best Godzilla film I've ever seen.
Lat night I had a hankering to finally catch a film I've wanted to see since I was a kid: BINGO LONG'S TRAVELING ALL-STARS AND MOTOR KINGS. A semi-whimsical movie about negro-league ballplayers who leave their oppressive team-owners and start a barnstorming team of their own, the first half was charming and fun, and the second half got a little more serious, which moved it from "I loved it!!!" territory to just "Really good". Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones were outstanding.
I also finished up Denzel's EQUALIZER trilogy, and the law of diminishing returns was in full effect in these three films, with the third being a pointless killfest from start to finish. I was nice seeing Denzel reunited with Dakota Fanning, his MAN ON FIRE costar, but other than that and some truly eye-popping kills, there was nothing much to recommend. I find Director Antoine Fuqua to be a filmmaker who has coasted by on having made one truly great film (TRAINING DAY), and it's been all mediocrity ever since.
As far as Antoine Fuqua's filmography, I find it hard to disagree. I don't think that he necessarily makes bad films, just nothing that really stands out, fading from memory rapidly after watching them. I remember watching TEARS OF THE SUN a couple of times, but always though at the time that it was lesser Bruce Willis. SOUTHPAW I also really wanted to enjoy due to the talent involved but it just didn't work for me. Same could be said for THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN remake, which was fine, but lacked any kind of heart. Most of his other film just never piqued my interest. TRAINING DAY, though, is still a really good watch.
- 1 like
Leave a comment:
-
We watched GODZILLA MINUS ONE the other night, and we both loved it. My wife is NOT a monster-movie fan, but she has been raving about it to everyone we've seen over the past few days. The effects were amazing, especially the scenes of Godzilla pursuing the small boats...nerve-wracking stuff. Definitely the best Godzilla film I've ever seen.
Lat night I had a hankering to finally catch a film I've wanted to see since I was a kid: BINGO LONG'S TRAVELING ALL-STARS AND MOTOR KINGS. A semi-whimsical movie about negro-league ballplayers who leave their oppressive team-owners and start a barnstorming team of their own, the first half was charming and fun, and the second half got a little more serious, which moved it from "I loved it!!!" territory to just "Really good". Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones were outstanding.
I also finished up Denzel's EQUALIZER trilogy, and the law of diminishing returns was in full effect in these three films, with the third being a pointless killfest from start to finish. I was nice seeing Denzel reunited with Dakota Fanning, his MAN ON FIRE costar, but other than that and some truly eye-popping kills, there was nothing much to recommend. I find Director Antoine Fuqua to be a filmmaker who has coasted by on having made one truly great film (TRAINING DAY), and it's been all mediocrity ever since.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by sholloman81 View PostI've just started working through the Vinnegar Syndrome Lost Picture Show boxed set. All the films in this set were considered lost and were located & restored by Vinegar Syndrome. Most of the films are low-budget genre pics from the early 60's-70's. Watched the first film last night, Carlos Tobalina's "What's Love?" and was pleasantly surprised. Very sleazy low-budget film about the devil coming to earth and seducing three sets of people: a cop, a priest, and a troubled married couple. Has all sorts of neat 70's type freakouts, a fun soundtrack, and much more nudity than I had expected, including the infamous Ginger Lynn. Overall, while not a great film by any standards, I am glad to have seen this and think it was a fine start to this box set.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Ben Staad View PostFor some reason I typically like these cheesy movies. There is something about them I find charming in a weird and twisted way.
Â
Leave a comment:
-
For some reason I typically like these cheesy movies. There is something about them I find charming in a weird and twisted way.
Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
I'm always intrigued by these box sets, but I'm always afraid they're gonna be a bust, so I never buy them. However, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the rest of the films in the set. This reminds me that I still need to pick up their VILLAGES OF THE DAMNED set. I see that I just missed their Halfway to Black Friday sale. To ward off my disappointment, I'm pretending that everything they had for sale was of no interest to me.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by sholloman81 View PostI've just started working through the Vinnegar Syndrome Lost Picture Show boxed set. All the films in this set were considered lost and were located & restored by Vinegar Syndrome. Most of the films are low-budget genre pics from the early 60's-70's. Watched the first film last night, Carlos Tobalina's "What's Love?" and was pleasantly surprised. Very sleazy low-budget film about the devil coming to earth and seducing three sets of people: a cop, a priest, and a troubled married couple. Has all sorts of neat 70's type freakouts, a fun soundtrack, and much more nudity than I had expected, including the infamous Ginger Lynn. Overall, while not a great film by any standards, I am glad to have seen this and think it was a fine start to this box set.
Leave a comment:
-
I've just started working through the Vinnegar Syndrome Lost Picture Show boxed set. All the films in this set were considered lost and were located & restored by Vinegar Syndrome. Most of the films are low-budget genre pics from the early 60's-70's. Watched the first film last night, Carlos Tobalina's "What's Love?" and was pleasantly surprised. Very sleazy low-budget film about the devil coming to earth and seducing three sets of people: a cop, a priest, and a troubled married couple. Has all sorts of neat 70's type freakouts, a fun soundtrack, and much more nudity than I had expected, including the infamous Ginger Lynn. Overall, while not a great film by any standards, I am glad to have seen this and think it was a fine start to this box set.
- 1 like
Leave a comment:
-
Watched two films this weekend:
The Trip, a dark comedy about a disgruntled married couple who both have secretly planned to murder the other while on their trip to the family cabin only to be taken captive by three escaped convicts, struggled to hit and maintain the proper tone to make the film work. The dark comedy mostly works until a scene that starts off with a funny gag, then stays on this beat for too long and becomes rather disturbing. I thought this was going to signal a shift in the narrative to a more serious tone, but the film veers back into over-the-top, almost slapstick, violence and silly gags about hiding billiard balls up one's bum. At almost two hours, the film also overstays its welcome. I love dark comedies, but this one just did not hit for me. Grade: C-
Hacksaw Ridge was a rewatch and the problems I had with on my first viewing are the same that I have on this one. The film is almost 2.5 hours long and even though I like all the actors involved, all the characters feel like stereotypes and their arcs are exactly what you'd expect. The film's power comes from the depiction of Doss's heroic actions by staying behind to rescue injured soldiers. This isn't a bad film, and Doss is a great subject for a film, but for me, it quickly fades from memory. Grade: C+
- 1 like
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Ben Staad View PostRe-watched Adventures in Babysitting last night. Nostalgia with this one but overall a fun, silly, and enjoyable film. So many of these films from my earlier days just don't hold up but this one is still good enough for a watch every now and again. 3 out of 5 stars.
Even though my pre-teen years were in the 80s, I have little to no nostalgia for films of the era. There are outliers of course, like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Back to the Future. My recollection of the admittedly limited movies I watched in the 80s were that they were fine, but I don't feel the pull to revisit films from that era too often. My prime movie-watching period was the 90s and that era constantly pulls me back in. The stories seem darker from that period than the 80s, almost like a throwback to the darker cynicism of the films of the 70s. Whether it's the desperation of Jack Lemmon's character in Glengarry Glen Ross, the one-two punch of Brad Pitt in Seven and Fight Club, the redemptive power of The Shawshank Redemption, or all the tons of indie films that crammed the video store shelves during that time, I just keep going back to it.
- 1 like
Leave a comment:
-
Re-watched Adventures in Babysitting last night. Nostalgia with this one but overall a fun, silly, and enjoyable film. So many of these films from my earlier days just don't hold up but this one is still good enough for a watch every now and again. 3 out of 5 stars.
Leave a comment:
-
Re-watched Terminator 1 and 2 over the weekend. Solid action flicks that are still watchable although dated. I'm not rating these but I will say plot holes abound however the nostalgia is strong in these for me. In particular the music in T2 brings back memories of my teen years.
- 1 like
Leave a comment:
Leave a comment: